EXPERIENCE NECK-SNAPPING SPEED WITH THE FASTEST-ACCELERATING CARS

Zero to 100km/h. Other than top speed, it’s the performance statistic car fans quote most often. It’s the benchmark for comparing the fastest-accelerating cars, not to mention a much more relevant statistic in the real world than top speed.

We’ve gathered the top 10 quickest cars to 100km/h, at least for now. Cars like the Bugatti Chiron, Hennessey Venom F5, and Koenigsegg Agera RS are contenders for this list, but their manufacturers haven’t released 0 to 100km/h estimates, and we could not uncover any independent tests either.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie, McLaren BP23, and Mercedes-AMG Project One should be pretty quick too, but they are even further away from production. With so many quick cars already out in the world, and so many waiting in the wings, it’s a great time to be a gearhead.

TESLA ROADSTER (1.9 SECONDS, CLAIMED)

The new Roadster will do 0 to 100km/h in 1.9 seconds, Musk claims, which would make it the quickest car in production by that metric. The car is also supposed to have a staggering 1100km of range, and a top speed somewhere around 300km/h. However, Tesla doesn’t plan to start building the Roadster until 2019 and, given Tesla’s history of missing production deadlines, buyers might have to wait even longer than that.

PORSCHE 918 SPYDER (2.2 SECONDS)

Porsche’s contribution to the “Holy Trinity” of hybrid supercars managed 0 to 100km/h in 2.2 seconds in a Car and Driver test, making it definitively the quickest of the group, which also includes the Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1.

The 918 Spyder is the most technologically advanced Porsche road car to date. A 4.6-litre V8 and two electric motors produce a combined 887 horsepower and 944 pound-feet of torque. Porsche only made 918 copies, priced at $845,000 each. Yet another impressive statistic is the 918’s ability to drive up to 12 miles on electric power alone. Not bad for a V8 supercar.

TESLA MODEL S P100D (2.2 SECONDS)

Even if the second-generation Roadster can’t live up to its lofty performance claims, Tesla will still be able to say that it has one of the quickest-accelerating cars around. The fact that the Model S is a reasonably-sized luxury sedan rather than a sports car makes its performance capabilities all the more impressive.

Tesla itself says the Model S will do 0 to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds, but Motor Trend got one to do the job in just 2.28 seconds. The difference is down to the way acceleration times are measured, but either way the Model S P100D is one seriously quick car.

DODGE CHALLENGER SRT DEMON (2.3 SECONDS, CLAIMED)

It’s not surprising that a car built for running the quarter mile can also destroy the 0 to 100km/h sprint. The Demon brings some serious hardware to bear on straight-line acceleration, from an 840-horsepower 6.2-litre supercharger Hemi V8, to a racing-style transbrake and massive rear tires.

Officially, Dodge says the Demon will do 0 to 100km/h in 2.3 seconds. But the automaker has hinted that its most monstrous muscle car can accelerate even faster. As with the Tesla Model S P100D, it’s all down to how the acceleration time is measured.

FERRARI LAFERRARI (2.4 SECONDS)

Ferrari’s official word on LaFerrari acceleration is that the hybrid supercar will do 0 to 100km/h in less than 3.0 seconds (and 0 to 200km/h in less than 7.0 seconds, in case you were wondering). Road & Track confirmed that with a 0 to 100km/h run of just 2.4 seconds.

In addition to having the most ostentatious name of any Ferrari, the LaFerrari was the automaker’s first production hybrid. It features a 6.3-litre V12, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and an electric motor for a total of 949 hp and 663 lb-ft of torque. Ferrari built 710 LaFerrari's, including 500 coupes and 210 convertibles.

BUGATTI VEYRON (2.5 SECONDS)

Bugatti hasn’t issued an official 0 to 100km/h time for its new Chiron, although it’s quick to note that the Chiron will go from 0 to 300km/h and back to 0 in just 42 seconds. So for now, the Chiron’s predecessor keeps its spot on the quickest-cars list.

The Bugatti Veyron did 0 to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds and was famously the fastest production car in the world. The original Veyron topped out at 407 km/h, but Bugatti also built a Veyron Super Sport that reached 430km/h without bettering the “standard” Veyron’s 0 to 100km/h time.

Propelling the Veyron to those speeds is an 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine that makes 1,001 hp in the Veyron and 1,200 hp in the Veyron Super Sport. Both versions cost over $1 million when new. The Veyron will be a tough act to follow.

RIMAC CONCEPT ONE (2.5 SECONDS, CLAIMED)

The Rimac Concept One is yet more proof that electric cars can be stupid fast. A product of Croatia’s Rimac Automobili, the Concept One is a 1,088-hp supercar powered only by electricity. It was built as a showpiece for the technology developed by Rimac which, among other things, is working on the powertrain for the Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Unfortunately for Rimac, the Concept One is likely known not for its performance capabilities but for being crashed by Richard Hammond during filming for an episode of Amazon’s The Grand Tour. Hammond escaped with his life despite the car rolling multiple times and catching fire when it finally came to rest.

MCLAREN P1 (2.6 SECONDS)

Compared to Porsche and Ferrari, McLaren has much less road car experience. But that may have actually turned out to be a good thing when McLaren built its own member of the hybrid supercar “Holy Trinity.” The P1 has a reputation for being much more aggressive and raw than the Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari, befitting for a company with more experience building race cars than road cars.

But, as far as we can tell, the P1 trails its rivals in acceleration. The 0 to 100km/h time of 2.6 seconds achieved in a Motor Trend test is nothing to sneer at, but it can’t match the times achieved by the Ferrari and Porsche in other independent tests. But McLaren’s high-tech hybrid is still one of the quickest cars ever.

PORSCHE 911 GT2 RS (2.7 SECONDS, CLAIMED)

The latest-generation GT2 RS is the most powerful production Porsche 911 ever, boasting 700 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque generated by a 3.8-litre turbocharged flat-six engine. Considering all of that power is sent to the rear wheels only, the GT2 RS might also be one of the most unforgiving 911 models ever. Porsche usually gives 911s with this much power all-wheel drive.

Porsche claims the GT2 RS will do 0 to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds, but that may be conservative. The less-powerful 911 Turbo S has been clocked at 2.7 seconds by independent testers, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the GT2 RS proved to be a bit quicker.

LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR LP750-4 SUPERVELOCE (2.7 SECONDS)

“Superveloce” means “super fast” in Italian, and the Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce doesn’t disappoint. A limited-edition, hardcore version of Lambo’s loud-and-proud Aventador, the SV can scorch to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds.

Lamborghini is known for building cartoonishly ridiculous supercars, but the Aventador SV is deadly serious. A 750-hp 6.5-litre V12 is paired with a lightened chassis bristling with aerodynamic aids, plus adaptive suspension, a sophisticated all-wheel drive system, and rear-wheel steering.

What was your favourite car from the fastest 0 to 100km/h list? Let us know your thoughts in the comment sections below...